New Features in RealFlow 2014

Hybrido=
Viscosity

A viscosity model for RealFlow's=
Hybrido has been requested by many users and now our large-scale solver co=
mes with a state-of-the-art implementation of this feature. The HyViscosity=
solver supports static and time-variable viscosity, and =E2=80=93 with the=
help of RealFlow's Graphs system =E2=80=93 even space-variable viscosity. =
The latter method is used to create zones of variable viscosity to achieve =
melting effects.

With viscosity you will be able =
to simulate everything from water to heavy, highly viscous tar or sticky mu=
d. An additional density parameter will help you to make complete material =
definitions. Of course, we have prepared some test projects in RealFlow's =
=E2=80=9CDemo scenes=E2=80=9D folder for you to play with and explore this =
existing new feature.

If you want to read more about t=
he HyViscosity solver, please follow this link.

Hybrido Improvemen=
ts

In RealFlow 2014 you will find a=
n improved collision detection for interactions between Hybrido fluids and =
objects. The interplay is much more accurate and yields better results. We =
have also succeeded in removing some limitations, for example the possibili=
ty of filling glass- or vase-like objects with particles from outside these=
objects.

Another enhancement concerns Hyb=
rido's secondary elements, mainly splashes. You will need less test cycles =
to get satisfying results, HySPH simulations are easier to control, and hav=
e a more fluid-like behaviour.

Finally, simulations with the do=
main's sparse mode have been accelerated by at least 1.5 times.

HySPH Bubbles Emit=
ter

With this new emitter it is poss=
ible to create rising bubbles from objects interacting with a Hybrido fluid=
. Bubbles add more realism to your simulations. They occur when an object i=
s diving into a fluid, interacts with its surface (e.g. with propellors), o=
r is moved under water. The bubbles will rise and move to the surface. Ther=
e, they can turn into foam and float on the surface, or they will be destro=
yed.

New HySPH Fl=
uid Type

All splash-based secondary emitt=
ers provide a new fluid type: this new option is called =E2=80=9CLiquid =E2=
=80=93 Hybrido=E2=80=9D. When this type is enabled the particles are no lon=
ger governed by the HySPH solver, but our HyFLIP method. The result is a si=
gnificantly improved behaviour, a more fluid-like appearance, and decreased=
simulation times due to the HyFLIP solver's larger time steps.

GUI

Experienced users will certainly=
notice a few eye-catching differences in comparison to RealFlow 2013: tabs=
with access to RealFlow's nodes and commands, and completely overhauled, s=
tylish icons.

The tabs are called =E2=80=9CRea=
lFlow Shelves=E2=80=9D and with them you will be able to customize RealFlow=
's layout to suit your needs, create groups of commands, scripts, plugins, =
or graphs =E2=80=93 even network drives can be hooked to the layout. Extern=
al resources will now act as if they are built-in commands.

A comprehensive, but easy-to-use=
, tool which provides functions to manage the shelves and their contents. Y=
ou will also find a shortcut manager, where you can define your own key com=
binations for RealFlow's commands and nodes. It also possible to define mul=
tiple shortcuts for one and the same command. The shelves are freely config=
urable and you can change their order with drag-and-drop actions.

Daemons

The new version of RealFlow prov=
ides a completely revised =E2=80=9CSheeter=E2=80=9D daemon. With thin fluid=
layers in particular, you will see huge improvements. The hole-filling pro=
cess is easier to control, creates more particles, and there are additional=
options to create tendrils. Finally, you will get much better, and more ac=
curate, results with fluids colliding with objects.

We have added a new daemon, call=
ed =E2=80=9COcean Force=E2=80=9D. This daemon is a conversion of the =E2=80=
=9Csurface_force_field=E2=80=9D graph from RealFlow's demo scenes. The purp=
ose of this graph was to translate the motion of an ocean statistical spect=
rum into a force field to displace a Hybrido fluid surface. The result was =
an ocean with turbulent surface waves. The graph's functionality is now pac=
ked into a daemon with a user-friendly interface. RealFlow's =E2=80=9COcean=
Force=E2=80=9D daemon does not only affect Hybrido fluids, but also partic=
le-based SPH fluids, as well as rigid and soft bodies.

Now, it is also possible to visu=
alize a daemon's force field. With this feature you have better control ove=
r a daemon's behaviour and the way forces are distributed in space and wher=
e they finally act.

Bounded Me=
shing and Extensions

The first improvement is related=
to the =E2=80=9CHybrido Mesh=E2=80=9D engine. Now you have the possibility=
of creating large ocean surfaces with just a few clicks. The new =E2=80=9C=
Boundaries=E2=80=9D panel provides several parameters and options to extend=
the core fluid mesh and add an arbitrary number of tiles. You will also fi=
nd settings to blend the Hybrido core fluid mesh with the additional tiles =
to get a smooth transition.

Another improvement concerns bot=
h the =E2=80=9CParticle Mesh=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9CHybrido Mesh=E2=80=9D en=
gines: it is possible to mesh within a certain region. This option comes in=
very handy when you have to deal with very large meshes consisting of seve=
ral millions of polygons. You do not have to (re)create the entire mesh any=
more if you only want to see changes in a specific area or region.=
p>

Interactive M=
eshing

All options and features are now=
applied automatically. This means that you do not have to rebuild a mesh m=
anually when you change a parameter. The result will be displayed in the vi=
ewport and you have immediate feedback. Since these live changes are tempor=
ary, it is still necessary to build a mesh in order to apply the settings t=
o the mesh's geometry and save them. Only then it is possible to create the=
entire mesh sequence with the new values.

Alternative Exp=
ort Paths

In previous versions of RealFlow=
all cache data was written to the project's directory. With very large sim=
ulations the problem sometimes was that the target drive ran out of space. =
In such a situation, RealFlow continued to simulate, but did not write any =
more files and wasted lots of energy. This is a thing of the past, because =
with RealFlow 2014 you can define alternative paths where the simulation da=
ta will be stored when a drive is full. A small manager helps you to determ=
ine which drives, network locations or folders should be used for that purp=
ose.

Maxwell 3

RealFlow's implementation of the=
Maxwell Render engine has also experienced a review and now you have acces=
s to the latest version of Next Limit's physical renderer. Improvements do =
not only affect voxelization and render time, but also the possibility of s=
aving different channels as separate files. These channels are: Alpha masks=
, motion vectors, and normals.

Please bear in mind that volumet=
rics are currently not supported.

New License Manager<=
/h3>

The days of RealFlow's old Licen=
se Manager are over and now there is one centralised tool for managing all =
Next Limit product licenses =E2=80=93 the RLM application. Licenses for Rea=
lFlow GUI and Node versions are stored under one interface. There is no mor=
e need to install your licenses with cumbersome command lines tools. The RL=
M is launched on startup as a permanent application with a comprehensive we=
b interface. The licensing process itself is just a matter of a few drag-an=
d-drop actions and finished within a minute for floating licenses.=
p>